photo credit: Alysse Gafkjen
Written by Maria Arroyo
Nashville singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Lydia Luce, is proud to share her compelling new album, Dark River. Produced by Jordan Lehining (Andrew Combs, Caitlin Rose), Dark River showcases Luce‘s “multi-instrumental vision” in an “intimate record of spellbinding strings, warm guitar tones, and hypnotic vocals that share heart-rending stories of Luce’s growth in the past year.”
The creation of Dark River started back in 2019 after a tough breakup that led to her traveling to the Pacific Northwest in hopes that the added space would help bring her inspiration for her next release.
While the singer/songwriter didn’t do much writing, she shares that she was able to “face her feelings.” She also shares that the isolation from everything helped “create the space for her personal stories of growth, heartache, and hope to appear clear in her mind.” Unfortunately, while the record was in the finishing stages, Luce‘s home was devastated by the March 2020 tornado. She made it out just in time, but that didn’t stop the intense panic attacks she faced while she continued to help other Nashville folk get back on their feet.
The opening track, “Occasionally,” hits the listener immediately with her beautiful voice. Her knack for writing such visually stimulating lyrics and pairing that talent with her moving vocal performance is enough to send chills.
“Tangled Love” and “Leave Me Empty” are the top tracks of the album for me. “Tangled Love” has this beautiful, dark energy to it that immediately sucks you in, while the latter highlights her incredible skills as a multi-instrumentalist and her clear talent for evoking such strong emotion through her lyrics. Luce created a song for the lonely and empty, and it is hands down, my favorite song of 2021 to-date.
Her next couple of tracks, “Something To Say,” and “Never Been Good,” have a brighter sound to them, but still just as moving and satisfying. While “Something To Say” carries a bit of a bittersweet feeling, “Never Been Good” is drowning in contemporary rock and country emotions, which I think many people will grow to love.
Check out Lydia Luce’s new lyric video for “Never Been Good.”
“Maybe In Time” is a spiritually-moving track that still showcases her phenomenal songwriting talents. Its lyrics are intentful and effective while remaining pleasing and simple to the ear. “All The Time” is another track that highlights her abilities as a multi-instrumentalist, as she explores different musical ideas that come together seamlessly.
Lydia Luce closes her impact-stunning album with her final track, “Just The Same.” This track is beautifully-stripped down for a soft and meaningful ending. The elegantly-arranged string and piano instrumentation are only amplified by her remarkably intimate vocal performance. Dark River is nothing short of impeccable! It’s the perfect balance of fun and freeness and heavy emotions that make it such a well-crafted album.
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